'So when Ed asked you to do whatever it was and you cried and writhed about and so on, you were faking that too.'
'Oh absolutely.'
'But you really were crying. real tears, I saw them. And you still look slightly weepy, as if you've been crying.'
'Do I? Oh yes, they were real tears all right, but I was faking them at the same time. What I mean is, it was a performance that included crying. I can cry at will, always have been able to. My dad says I get it from him, he's in the theatre, he says it's all a matter of being self-centred enough. I studied acting for a year until I realised I couldn't stand the people.'
'I see,' said Brenda. 'How can we help you?'
'Well really just knowing I've got the two of you on my side is a big help in itself. And you can both keep your ears open for anything you may hear, from Rosenberg and so on, and if I can't make it one Saturday I'll need someone to watch Ed for me. That sort of thing.'
'And when you've got enough information you'll decide whether you're going to sue him or not.'
'I might sue him or I might write about him in a newspaper.'
'What would you sue him for?'
'Well, I'm no legal expert, I'd have to find out about that but I'd have thought one could get him for fraud. After all he is a fraud isn't he?'
Brenda said nothing to that. Jake hesitated before he came in.
'An intellectual fraud certainly. All this stuff about getting away from logic and reason which he isn't even consistent about. And 'of course' when a crowd of people tell you on instruction that you're nice you're not going to feel in the least less shy when you meet a crowd of other people you've never seen before. And whatever any of them may have got off their chests will all be back on their chests by now. 'And' he makes a hundred and fifty quid a time out of us and God knows how many other lots he runs. But he hasn't got a contract with me, he hasn't even said he might be able to help me. So I don't really see quite how we....'
'Neither of you know the first thing about it so I think it's be better if you shut up and give him a chance.' Brenda spoke in a livelier style than ever. 'You say you've been six times and today was our first, it seems to me perfectly ridiculous to expect any results for several months, Dr Rosenberg said we shouldn't. And there are always rumours about these sorts of things which I don't think should be passed on. And I don't care what rot anybody talks if they make me feel better and I dare say you won't believe me or think it matters but I felt really better after saying my piece even if it didn't last very long.'
She got up from her chair-arm and not very quietly began putting the tea-things together. The speed with which Kelly delivered thanks and good-byes, fetched her umbrella from the kitchen, made for the door and vanished, all without appearance of hurry, impressed Jake. In the passage he had to step lively to avoid being run down by Brenda with the tea tray before her and no eye for him.
'What's the matter?' he called after her.
'Nothing.'
'Oh Christ.'
Again he followed her out to the kitchen, where she dropped the tray on to the draining board from a height of several inches and turned round with the speed of a wide-awake sentry. Then she slowed down.
'I suppose it's not your fault.'
'Oh bloody good, what's not?'
'What do you think she wanted? Would you like another cup?'
'Yes I would, thank you. What do you mean? To get us on her side—I don't know how serious that was. Or just to have a chat.'
'To get the pair of us, both of us, the two of us, the couple of us on her side, you mean. She overdid it there. No, it was you she was after.'
'After?'
'Some girls like old men. I'm not being nasty, you're not an old man to me but you obviously are to her. She could see you thought the Workshop was a joke at best and didn't like Ed, oh don't be ridiculous, anybody could have in five minutes, so she cooked up this story about exposing him as a fraud and wanting our help. Sod that.'
'Fancy me when she'd seen me starkers? Thanks.' They were for his fresh tea.
'That probably gave her the idea. No really darling, I should say you're pretty good for your age group. What?'
Jake was shaking his head. 'Just..... You see I was thinking the other day, before this business came along, girls, women would look me over a bit, I don't mean send me an invitation but at least look at me. Now they don't. Literally. Well they do when they have to, when I'm talking to them, pupils and so on, but only the minimum. Obviously the normal man sends out little signals all the time, not lecherous glares, just saying he's not against the idea. So I must be sending out signals saying I am against it, and they pick them up, without realising it of course. So if you're right, why hasn't Kelly?'
'Because she's a howling neurotic with all her wires crossed. Do you honestly believe what she did back there was faked by as much as one per cent? Ed said she couldn't run her life.'
'Mm. But wouldn't she have held back a bit if she was planning to get us to believe she was faking?'
'She got carried away, or she reckoned we'd take her word for it. Or she just forgot.'
'Mm. She's so bright. Seeing that in End's world everything's connected with—'
'Neurotics very often are bright—Dr Rosenberg said. By the way, what happened to you being too close to
